RAF over Iraq

A British Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 flies a mission over Iraq Feb. 10, 2009, in support of Operation TELIC, the United Kingdom name for military operations being conducted in Iraq. The aircraft had just completed receiving fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker. Photo by Staff Sgt. James Harper.

Please, not again

It disturbs me deeply to discover this question is being asked again:

But that was not such a bad question compared to Ed Henry with CNN, who asked the President whether he thought the arrival of American coffins at Dover should be accessible to the media to "show America the real cost of the war...." and would he reconsider the policy of not allowing the media in.

There are numerous other opportunities to see as well as to honor our Fallen. But in the name of all that is good and decent, is this father's request really "too much to ask"?

Freedom has many costs, but for the fallen and their families the cost is a Lifetime of Love. Is it too much to ask, given what we have paid for America and the likes of Ed Henry and CNN to be free to have that first moment to be ours and not America's?

President Lincoln Bicentennial Birthday

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

- From the Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln: 16th and first Republican President of the United States, author of the Emancipation Proclamation, savior of the Union, and whose 200th birthday we celebrate today.

President Lincoln and the Soldiers' Home

President Abraham Lincoln lived at the Soldiers' Home in what is now called Anderson Cottage on and off for a total of 13 months between the summer of 1862 and the fall of 1864.

The Soldiers' Home was established in 1851, as an "asylum for old and disabled veterans." The cottage there served as a retreat for Lincoln, though it brought the president face to face with the Civil War.

Wounded Union troops living at the adjacent Soldiers’ Home pitched tents and drilled on his lawn. Grave sites multiplied on the grounds.

“We have found refuge in the soldiers’ home, but in a way it brings us closer to the war than ever before,” wrote first lady Mary Lincoln.

On his daily commute to and from the White House, Lincoln discussed the front lines with wounded, active-duty soldiers in the hospitals he passed along the way. They were his eyes and ears on the battlefield. Their stories and opinions helped him decide how to wage the war.

The interaction and stories that come from his time there are considered instrumental in making Lincoln a father figure to the Union army.

When Fort Stevens, about two miles from the cottage, was under attack by Confederate troops, Lincoln went two days in a row to observe the battle. There, Lincoln became the only sitting U.S. president to come under enemy fire.

Perched on one of Washington’s highest points, with a breeze not possible three miles away at the White House, Lincoln mulled each battle’s progress. The cottage, which had a view of the Capitol’s dome midconstruction, was where Lincoln would decide how to constitutionally emancipate slaves and write the final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Sources: Stars & Stripes, DefenseLink, National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Originally posted February 2008.

New Valour-IT grant awarded to Soldiers' Angels

Great news!

Valour-IT grant awarded to Soldiers' Angels

For the second time in three years, Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT has received a grant from the San Antonio Area Foundation (SAAF) through SAAF's Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD).

The grant of $210,000 is expected to purchase at least 300 laptops, which will be distributed to wounded veterans at San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) or living in the surrounding area. The computers will be used for communication, post-military employment preparation and physical and occupational therapy, and will be fitted with adaptive technology from the Department of Defense for severely injured users, including voice-control. As one of the largest treatment facilities for wounded veterans in America, BAMC is a major hub for Project Valour-IT and Soldiers' Angels works closely with caseworkers there to identify recovering service members in need of a laptop.

Wounded veteran and Valour-IT co-creator Chuck Ziegenfuss knows firsthand the power of Valour-IT. He reported that using a voice-controlled laptop while he recovered was "the first time I felt whole since I'd woken up wounded."

This is the third SAAF/TRIAD grant for Soldiers' Angels, forming a growing bond and furthering the reach of Project Valour-IT, which has already distributed 3,000 laptops nationwide. "With the money from this grant we will be able to touch many more heroes who need Valour-IT Laptops," said Veterans Support team leader, Twyla Choate. "Soldiers' Angels is thrilled to once again be given the opportunity to help those who have done so much for us."

In 2007, Valour-IT received a $150,000 grant from TRIAD. Soldiers' Angels proudly salutes the work of official volunteer grant writer Cheryl Walker, who wrote both of the TRIAD grant applications for Valour-IT.

Please join me in a toast...

To my good buddy, over here.

Did you hear the one about... ?

So this Italian guy flies to Turkey, crosses the border to Iraq, takes a cab from Erbil to Baghdad, and gets on the bus to Falluja. You know, to "see the sights".

Well, this could be a joke, but it's not. In Falluja, he's finally spotted by an incredulous checkpoint guard.

The police summoned local Iraqi journalists to tell them of the wandering Italian, American marines were called in, the Italian Embassy was notified. The police concluded that Mr. Marchio was not an Italian jihadist and was a risk to no one but himself. An American marine working with the police suggested taking him to the city limits and dropping him where Falluja met the main highway.

The hubbub over the wayward tourist ended the next day with a flight back to Italy arranged by the Italian Embassy in Baghdad.

I seem to remember Michael Totten taking a similar route a couple of years back, but this guy's no Michael Totten. Sheesh.

Via HotAir.

Nurses to Nurses

All smiles: Nurses on one of the medical-surgical wards at Landstuhl hospital pose with their goodie basket. Soldiers' Angel and nurse Karen Wetther launched a "goodies for nurses" project with colleagues and friends in San Diego to let our nurses know how much their work is appreciated.

Ok, now they're just being silly :-)

A few months ago I was contacted by a San Diego Soldiers' Angel named Karen Wetther who wanted to do something for the nursing staff here at Landstuhl.

Karen is an R.N. as well as Chairperson of the Philanthropy Committee for the San Diego Chapter of the American Assn. of Legal Nurse Consultants. She and her Chapter joined forces with other nursing friends at Camp Pendleton and the Vietnam Veterans of the San Diego Veterans Museum and Memorial Center.

Because they understand the long and busy hours worked by nurses, they decided on a variety of food items, including healthy and not-so-healthy :-) snacks. They also included some DVDs to help the nursing staff relax and unwind during off hours.

Well... their shipment amounted to 20 large flat-rate boxes! We've purchased a basket or bowl for each medical-surgical ward which we refill with goodies on a weekly basis.

After the boxes were packed up and shipped Karen emailed:

Thank you for allowing us to do this! We really enjoyed it and I can't tell you the number of people who thanked me personally or by e-mail for launching this project so they could do something to support the war effort. People really do care and want to do something. They often just don't know how.

What a great idea! Thank you Karen & Co! Your thoughtfulness and support is very much appreciated by our nurses.

Soldier shot by sniper - the follow up story

U.S. Soldier Shot by Iraqi Sniper - watch more videos

GreatAmericans highlights SGT Steven Tschiderer with a follow up story from the History Channel. You'll remember SGT Tschiderer from the video taken by insurgent snipers as they shot him. Saved by his body armor, he got right back up. He then participated in the pursuit of the insurgents and, because he was a Medic, treated one of them upon capture.

Great to see the whole story about SGT Tschiderer, thanks to the Dawn Patrol.

Soldiers' Angels VA Team touches lives of homeless veterans

The email below from a VA Case Manager (which I have edited slightly and added emphasis) was sent to Louise Stanley of SA's Sacramento VA Team Chapter and shared with this note:

Angels, I asked Sadania to share an update with us to let you know just how all your support has made a REAL DIFFERENCE in the lives of previously homeless veterans and their families in our neighborhoods. I'm sure this will put a smile on your face!

In addition to the veterans we are currently supporting through this program, they are scheduled to receive another 175 vouchers in 2009. In order to be in a position to continue supporting the move-in costs for these heroes and their families, I'll be announcing some fund-raising programs soon that you can help us with... :)

If you'd like to make a donation at any time, click here.

Thank you for all your love and support of our local veterans!

Hello Soldiers' Angels,

I have been appointed the HUD-VASH (Veteran Affairs Supported Housing) Case Manager for the 35 Veterans chosen to participate in this exciting new program.

Thanks to Soldiers' Angels we have been able to be a part of ensuring we honor the sacred trust to care for our nation’s veterans. Of the 35 we accepted into the program, 27 veterans have vouchers in hand. We have 18 currently searching for housing, and 9 veterans have successfully moved into new homes.

One was a family of four with small children (age 2 and 6 months). I will call them the "A" family. They were able to get in their home before Christmas, and had their tree up in their new home. We were also able to secure furniture for them from a donation in the community. Another family, the "B" family, moved into their home, they are an older couple. They were able to move into their home for the new year, and are closer to services as well.

We have two veterans, who are disabled who were able to move into the same apartment complex across from a fishing harbor. One veteran found a nice 1 bedroom home, he was a chef and was very excited about being able to cook his own meals. One veteran since moving into his new home, is reuniting with his family, a wife and daughter.

We have one veteran, Mr. C, who has his move-in check from Soldiers' Angels and is expecting to move-in any day now. When I met him, he was very depressed and discouraged. He has two school aged children, who will visit when he has a home. He is trained in carpentry, however, effects of his experience prevented him from moving forward. He was very discouraged, but found a two bedroom apartment, that qualifies under his voucher. He was adamant about finding a two bedroom, because he said he wanted a place his children could come and visit him, where he could be a father. He was very conscious of what environment he would be living in, and his children would visit. His daughter is being considered for a prestigious dance school and scholarship. He has spoken of this with pride, and he wanted to have a place and be a father she could respect.

The housing market is tough for our homeless veterans, we are facing many obstacles. Property managers and landlords, want people with money in hand, and if it were not for Soldiers' Angels, Mr. C and all the others would have missed this opportunity.

As the case manager, I participate in conference calls with HUD-VASH case managers around the state, and there are veterans whose vouchers are expiring because they do not have the money for move-in costs. One of my veterans was collecting cans to pay for a copy of his birth certificate so that he can obtain his voucher.

This is a wonderful program for our veterans, however, it was not accompanied with funding for move-in costs, furniture, dishes, plates, etc. As a federal employee, I cannot solicit funds from corporations. So we have been depending on the hearts, dedication, and determination of Americans like you who are willing to assist those who served us, who sacrificed, and still sacrifice daily for us.

When you honor them, you honor that sacred trust they put in us all that, we were worth their sacrifice, that we are the fruit of their sacrifice. I can tell you that working with these veterans is my honor; they are receptive when I asked them for things, ready for change, and a new beginning. Thank you for giving them that new beginning.

We face some challenges ahead in assisting our veterans. One challenge will continue to be assisting with move-in costs. We are also looking for property managers willing to work with our veterans, and specifically veterans who were homeless (who may have had challenges in the past that effected their credit report). We have found some, and I am trying to capitalize on that, but we are hoping to find more, as we have so many searching, and we want every single one to have a home.

I hope this email will help those Angels out there know they do not labor in vain, but much the opposite; you are making futures brighter, reuniting families, and repairing the pride of those who wore the uniform for us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, on behalf of the veterans we are serving together. Thank you.

Sincerely,


Sadania Gibbons, LCSW
HUD-VASH
Dept.of Veteran Affairs

General Petraeus tosses coin at Super Bowl XLIII